ISL 2016: We have to improve on our set pieces, says Mumbai City FC coach Alexandre Guimaraes

Mumbai City suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against FC Goa

With ten minutes remaining, Mumbai City FC coach Alexandre Guimaraes expressed his frustration, standing in his technical area. The experienced Costa Rican rarely loses his cool but he had ample reasons to be annoyed with his side.

Mumbai City FC suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of a stubborn Goa side. It gave the visitors, their first win of the tournament. Mumbai though, remain without a win for the fourth consecutive match.

After the game, Alexandre spoke to the media and seemed evidently disappointed.

"It was a one ball game. The kind of match where the team that scored first had a greater chance of winning the game. Because both the teams were very cautious. We had our chances. We tried to get at least a draw in the second half. I think the guys showed spirit,” he stated.

Injuries hampered Mumbai’s cause

Mumbai’s midfield duo of Defederico and Pronoy Halder suffered injuries during the match, adding to the coach’s woes.

“In the final third, we didn’t produce the right pass. We have to think about our injured players. It sometimes happens when you play the way we’ve been playing in the last 20 days. We will go to Kolkata to get the points that we didn’t get here today,” he said.

Diego Forlan had a night to forget but Alexandre believed it was the entire team that lacked creativity and persistence.

“I think Forlan did what we asked from him. Goa always covered him with 2 defenders. Like I said, we didn’t have the penetration when he moved to get forward. Now he will have the chance to play more often. He will get more involved in the game as he plays more often,” the Costa Rican explained.

The Mumbai City FC coach decided to field a new-look defense against Goa. Khongjee and Ashutosh Mehta got their chances and Alexandre was satisfied with his side’s defensive performance.

“We had to take out Anwar as a precaution. Last game in Delhi, he had a tight muscle. So we had to make a change. I think defensively during the game; we didn’t have too many problems,” he said.

Must improve from set pieces

Throughout the game, Mumbai had numerous opportunities to pressurize Goa from set pieces. But none of the crosses met their intended target. Something which Guimaraes is keen on correcting.

“Yes, we have to improve our set pieces. Because this is a situation that we did very well in pre-season. But now we’re not putting the ball in the place that it’s supposed to be. After the Kolkata game, we will have a break. Set pieces will be one of the assignments we will work on,” he concluded.